All My Puny Sorrows

source: All My Puny Sorrows

The film achieves its goal in displaying the multitude of effects that illness can take on a family and the very real endless concern that is required and rightfully present. The film does not censor or shy away from how difficult a challenge this is and does a good job showing how this trauma can impact generations of the family. The performances are good with a very appropriate soundtrack.

Yoli (Alison Pill) is having something personal issues. She has teenage daughter Nora (Amybeth McNulty) and is getting divorced. Her sister Elf (Sarah Gadon) tried to kill herself. Lottie (Mare Winningham) is her mother. Jake (Donal Logue) is her father. Her beloved aunt Tina (Mimi Kuzyk) has a heart attack. The family is Canadian Mennonite. Michael McGowan is the writer and director. It's adapted from a novel by Miriam Toews. It's obviously coming from personal experiences. It's not a movie of action or thrills or even plot points. It is a movie of personal drama. Alison Pill delivers a varied powerful performance. She has her cry moments, anger moments, and comedic moments which she is apt to do. One must be aware however that this movie is not a mover.

The trailer makes this fine Canadian film seem like a three-hanky Existentialist chick flick, which it is to some extent. I'm sorry it doesn't include the scene where a Mennonite preacher calls on Elf(rieda), the suicidal concert pianist sister, in her hospital room. She gets out of bed while reciting Larkin's "Days" and taking off her clothes (patients on suicide watch aren't allowed underwear, we're told in a masterly bit of foreshadowing); the preacher flees. Fun fact: The one-line Valéry "poem" the sisters recite is actually just a line and a bit from "La Dormeuse," but now it's banging around the internet as a meme all on its own.

Simple, elegant and emotional. Allison Pill and Sarah Gadon deliver performances I am speechless to describe. It is a heart breaking journey but one I want to see over and over again so I can revel in their beautiful performances. I'm also happy and proud about the Canadian representation.

The most beautifully written piece I've seen in a very long time. And splendid acting by all...especially Mare Winninham and Alison Pill. Surprising humor considering the dark subject matter.

"All My Puny Sorrows" is a movie I really, really wanted to like. It features some of my favorite actresses-giving wonderful performances-and certainly means to explore deep, interesting human drama. Unfortunately, this film is a classic example of biting off more than can be chewed both plot-wise and thematically. For a very basic overview, "All My Puny Sorrows" tells the story of two sisters, their mother, and generational (perhaps inherited) depression. After Elf (Sarah Gadon) fails in a suicide attempt, sister Yoli (Alison Pill) reunites with her-and mother Lottie (Mare Winningham)-in order to figure out exactly what happened and try to get Elf back on the right path. There are actually a lot of things to like in this setup that my 4-star ranking somewhat belies. The acting is fantastic from the trio of leading ladies, it is shot/constructed in an interesting and engaging fashion, and it always seems important (never boring or pointless). In a sense, it has many of the bones that comprise a great indie film. The elephant in the room, however, is that plot/theme-wise this movie is all over the place. Is it about sisterhood? Generational depression? Suicide? Mennonite culture? "All My Puny Sorrows" tries to tackle all of those at once and doesn't have the chutzpah to pull it off. So, the entire experience ends up feeling like a series of interesting/compelling ideas that never really lead anywhere because-in a 1:43 runtime-there just isn't enough time for exploration before it is "on to the next topic". So, "All My Puny Sorrows" is what I'd consider a "really solid, not very good" movie, if that makes any sense. It technically does all the things one would want in a human drama film, but fails to crystalize into a coherent, thematic whole in the end.

The acting is good, the atmosphere is good. But the story is cliché and very boring. I have watched it till middle and hope it will get unboring but it stays the same all the way. Not recommend.

It's a modern drama based in East Village and Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Toronto, Ontario, about two sisters, one of whom is suicidal. It's an adaptation of Miriam Toews' 2014 novel of the same title. In the movie's opening, we see the suicide of the two sisters' father, Jake Von Riesen (Donal Logue). We are introduced to Elf (Gabrielle Jennings/Sarah Gadon), an accomplished concert pianist who suffers from deep depression. She is married to Nic (Aly Mawji), a loving and devoted husband. Her sister, Yoli (Marin Almasi/Alison Pill), was a wild child who left a marriage after 16 years. She's in a loveless relationship with an uptight lawyer, Alex Finbar (Michael Musi), and has a bright but mouthy teenage daughter, Nora (Amybeth McNulty). Yoli is a novelist that has experienced limited success and won't tell anyone about her latest manuscript. And then there is Lottie, Elf's and Yoli's mother (Mare Winningham), who is a plain-spoken realist still rooted in her conservative Mennonite community. The film primarily follows the relationship of the two sisters within the larger family structure, with flashbacks to earlier times that include their father. Throughout the film, Yoli struggles to extract hope from her sister, but Elf has too often seen hope in the morning transition to despair in the afternoon. Finally, the resolution has truth and reality etched within it. This is a brilliantly sad movie. The humor that helps Yoli (and Miriam Toews) survive all that life throws at her is well embodied in the film. Lottie survives with less humor but a more profound sense of a reality that can leave the pain behind. Lottie's character seems unrealistic, but all I've heard about the "real" Lottie suggests the portrayal was accurate. I really liked the novel when I read it; my only question about the film is whether viewers unfamiliar with the book might find the storyline somewhat confusing.

Sometimes letting go of grief is worse than the grief itself, for in letting go we risk losing this part of our true selves and our life experience. In other words, punting the ball down the field does not help in dealing with and defeating what ails the psyche. We must grapple with it and pull through. Sisters Yoli and Elf struggle to deal with the depression and doubt that plagues their family and lives. Suffering seems to be inherited for them. Elf, a concert pianist, tried to kill herself and intends to try again. Yoli attempts to convince her sister to stay alive, but Yoli is not a model of healthy living herself and faces a nearly impossible task. Society conspires against the sisters too in that its focus is on shame and profits rather than truth and healing. There is hope for the sisters, and others in the same boat, in that life is always teaching lessons, and there is so much to learn, and so much that is beautiful. All My Puny Sorrows is moody and emotional like its characters. There are sudden shifts in focus. For all the dark moments, there are others full of light and laughter. At times the actors struggle with the heavy themes around depression and suicide, but the authenticity of the story shines through such faults. I treasured the reasons for living that Yoli found in this heartfelt and candid story. "I used to wake up in the morning singing," said Yoli. If only we all could do more things like this. And quote more poetry. Awareness replacing ignorance, empathy for others over convenience, and truth before profit and fear. Watching Yoli, Elf, and their loved ones deal with the grief gives me hope for the world. We are supposed to help each other after all. World premiere seen at the Toronto international film festival. Film based on a novel by Miriam Toews.